Gloves have long been used in athletic and other types of activities to protect the hand(s) of the wearer. In many cases, a glove is used to protect the hand from abrasion caused by repeated contact with something being grasped by the user. Padding in the palm and finger regions is sometimes used to help distribute the force caused by such grasping. It is also known to include stiffening elements in a glove. Such stiffening elements, which may be rigid or flexible, can help prevent injury to the wearer. Stiffening elements may also improve the wearer's performance in a particular activity by helping the wearer maintain a desired hand position.
Weight lifting is one type of athletic activity in which gloves can be helpful for all of these reasons. Frequent high-load contact with a metal bar can chafe, blister or otherwise injure or irritate an unprotected hand. Although calluses will typically form after some period of time, many persons seek to avoid developing hardened skin surfaces on their hands. Additional support for the hand is also desirable. When pushing a heavily-weighted bar away from the body, for example, a lifter's hands can be forced backwards (i.e., the back of the hands forced toward the forearms). If the lifter is not careful, excessive motion in this direction may result in hyperextension of the hand. This can cause a lifter to lose his or her grip on the bar. Injury can also result. Such injury could take the form of wrist or hand strain, as well as possible injury from a bar dropped due to a lost grip. To help prevent hand hyperextension, some weight lifting gloves include stiffening elements.
Cost of manufacture is a consideration in the design and construction of gloves. Adding stiffeners requires additional materials and manufacturing steps. Although the incremental cost per glove for additional materials and manufacturing steps may be relatively modest, such costs can become quite substantial during large production runs. Thus, any incremental reduction in cost can potentially have a significant impact.